


Scorecards

by Cinaed



Series: Scorecards [1]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-23
Updated: 2006-12-23
Packaged: 2017-10-08 03:29:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/72235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinaed/pseuds/Cinaed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney's never taking his sister's advice seriously ever again. After all, speed-dating?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scorecards

**Author's Note:**

> No clue where this came from, other than the thought that Rodney would be a horrible speed-dater. This was beta'd by the marvelous blue_raven and rosewildeirish, without whom this would be a much shorter and less coherent fic. *grin*

  


_How does 10minuteDating work? _

1\. Register for an event in your age group and area. Advance registration is required.  
2\. Gather with 20-100 single professionals at a popular restaurant near you.  
3\. Have 10 one-on-one conversations that last 10 minutes each.  
4\. Meet anyone else who catches your eye during intermission or after your 10th date.  
5\. To keep the conversations comfortable and safe, participants don't ask each other for contact information.  
6\. When you meet someone you want to see again, write their name on your Dating Card.  
7\. After the event, login to 10minuteDating.com and enter the names of the people you want to meet again.  
8\. Whenever two people enter each other's names, we provide contact information so you can arrange a 2nd date!

He's never taking his sister's advice seriously ever again. After all, _speed-dating_? Speed-dating was only for desperate losers who couldn't find a date on their own, even if their lives depended on it. And Rodney McKay was definitely _not_ a loser. Nor was he that desperate. Oh, sure, he'd hit a bit of a dry spell lately, but that was just because Elizabeth had him busy designing the newest computer program and he hadn't had _time_ to go out on dates. Besides--

The woman in front of him cleared her throat and glared. "Are you even _listening_ to me?" With a high nasally voice and too much rouge on her cheeks, she clearly fit into the 'desperate loser' category. 

Rodney glared back. "Obviously not." 

"Look, you--" The timer that signaled when the men needed to move onto the next table buzzed loudly, and the woman bit back whatever she was about to say, muttering something that sounded like, "Forget it," under her breath. 

He glanced at the name on her shirt, scribbling down Amber on his Dating Card just so he could cross it out. He added a few skulls around her name for good measure, because Amber was definitely a part of the 'not even if she was the last woman on Earth' category. 

Getting up to head over to the next table, he blinked at the lack of an empty seat. Instead, a man was slumped over, snoring quietly into the tabletop as Rodney's next date -- 'Hi, My Name is Cindy,' read her nametag -- looked torn between irritation and amusement. 

Rodney raised an eyebrow. "I take it he was bored by the conversation?" 

Cindy's expression quickly shifted to all-out irritation, and Rodney could already tell that her name was next in line to be crossed out on his Dating Card. "He just sat down, put his head on the table, and fell asleep. I didn't even get the chance to say hello!" she said hotly, folding her arms against her chest and alternating between glaring at the dozing man and Rodney. 

Rolling his eyes, Rodney tapped the man on the shoulder. "Nine more dates to go, and then you can go home and sleep," he informed him, and then repeated himself, louder, when the man kept dozing. He scowled, and then really looked at the man, taking in his rumpled appearance, the lines of strain on his sleeping face, and the fact that his hair looked like a scarecrow's nest. "Are you sure he's even one of speed-daters and not just some guy who wandered in off the streets?" 

"How should I know?" Cindy snapped, rolling her eyes. "Though I'm pretty sure the people in charge, you know, _check IDs_." 

Rodney glared at her for a moment, and then decided to ignore her in favor of shaking the sleeping man's shoulder. "Hey, hey, move along to the next table. Your 'date' is looking a little testy." This was true -- 'Hi, My Name is Lindsay' was glaring at the empty chair and tapping her foot impatiently. 

Finally, the man stirred, lifting his head and blinking owlishly at Rodney, his eyes a bright, intense blue despite the man's obvious grogginess. "I--" He straightened in his seat, and now Rodney could finally read the nametag on his chest. He found himself extremely tempted to tell 'Radek' just to give up and go home. 

Radek looked around, frowning, and then suddenly flushed. "Oh! Oh, I am _so_ sorry," he said, voice thick with sleep and an accent that Rodney couldn't quite place. He smiled apologetically at Cindy, whose features softened somewhat at his smile. "Jet-lag, you see, I just arrived from--"

"Yes, yes, tell the woman you're actually supposed to be spending ten minutes with," Rodney said impatiently, pointing at Lindsay, who was now apparently trying to kill Radek with her thoughts. "It's not my fault you slept through your date with Cindy here." 

"I am very sorry," Radek said again, offering a sheepish smile and readjusting his glasses even as he scrambled to his feet. "Have a good evening, Cindy." 

Rodney watched the other man sit down across from a still-glaring Lindsay and begin some ridiculous explanation about jet-lag, and then he turned back to Cindy, raising an eyebrow. "So, what sort of work do you do?" 

"I'm a lawyer," Cindy said, and then glared at him as though daring him to make a lawyer joke. 

Right. Never taking Jeannie's advice _ever again_. 

  


*

  


He looked down at his Dating Card and scowled. All ten names were scratched out, and nine of them had skulls drawn around them, with various comments like 'too much blush,' 'has a degree in the soft sciences,' 'didn't graduate high school,' and 'lazy eye' next to them as well. These women really were the bottom of the barrel, weren't they? 

  
He eyed the one name thoughtfully. Renee had been smart, well, for a blonde, anyway, and a college professor at a local university. Perhaps an actual date with her might be almost enjoyable. Rodney made a mental note to log onto the website and enter in her name. 

Folding up the Dating Card and tucking it into his wallet, he got up and realized that he and that sleeping guy -- Radek -- were the last ones left of the speed-dating group. Everyone else had run out the door, apparently. 

Radek was frowning blearily at his Dating Card, looking ready to fall asleep again. When he noticed Rodney watching him, he nudged his glasses up from the tip of his nose and remarked, blinking rapidly, "I cannot put a single name to a face. Which one was Monica?" 

"The brunette with the huge--" Rodney gestured, and Radek frowned harder. "You know, with the earrings that were big, dangly green stars." 

"Oh." Radek looked down at his Dating Card. "I think I slept through that date." 

"I think you slept through _all_ your dates," Rodney commented, rolling his eyes. "Why did you even come?" 

"It was a practical joke," Radek said glumly. "Revenge, for calling my sister's son the spawn of Lucifer." He paused, looking contemplative. "I think it only angered her because it was so obviously true. So, instead of giving me the address to my hotel, Marije gave me the address to-- _this_." He waved a hand at the empty tables. "I am only in town for a job interview. I do not have time for a date. I do not _want_ to date." 

Rodney snorted. "And I don't _need_ to speed-date to pick up girls, but just because I've been too busy with the latest project at work, my sister thinks I've become some antisocial loser who's going to wind up old and alone with just a cat for company." 

"Sisters," Radek repeated in the same glum tone, and Rodney nodded. Radek looked down at the Dating Card, shrugged, and then tossed it into the nearest trashcan. "I hardly think anyone will be asking for me after I slept all through the night." 

"Not to mention you look like you've been living in your car for a week," Rodney added, and Radek made a face, though his blue eyes gleamed with amusement. 

"_You_ try looking presentable after a fifteen-hour flight." He rubbed at his face and yawned, jaw cracking loudly enough that Rodney winced in sympathy. "Now, if I call a taxi and ask for the Marriott, he will know where to send me, yes?" 

"Well, that depends. There are two Marriott hotels in the city. One downtown, one uptown." Rodney took in the shadows under Radek's eyes, the slump of his shoulders, and the blank expression on his weary face, and rolled his eyes, pulling out his cell phone. Hey, he had to help a fellow man in need, especially when the fellow man also seemed to have an insane sister. They were kindred spirits, or something equally girly, or, well, something. "Here. Just call both hotels and ask if you're staying there." 

Radek yawned again, managing another thank-you before he began to mumble into the cell. After a few minutes, he handed the phone back. "The downtown Marriott it is. Thank you." He started to get to his feet, wobbled precariously, and it was only Rodney's hand on his shoulder that kept him from slumping back into his seat. "I will very glad to fall onto that hotel bed." 

"Just try not to fall asleep in the taxi," Rodney advised, earning a slightly ironic smile from the other man as he led him to the front of the restaurant, where a hostess smiled, said, "Here's your bag, sir," and handed a tattered-looking suitcase over to Radek. 

"Thank you," Radek said again when they got outside, smiling warmly at Rodney, eyes clear and grateful, a flush on his cheeks from the cool night's air.

Rodney frowned, flustered at the warm look, and said, "Oh, you're welcome, I suppose. Just, next time, uh, keep your comments about your sister's spawn to yourself. That's what I do whenever I see my niece. I learned that the hard way myself -- the first time I saw Madison, I made the mistake of commenting on how she looked like a fat tomato. Jeannie broke the encryption on my computer and had the computer play 'There Goes My Baby' nonstop until I finally apologized and said that Madison was a beautiful baby." He shuddered, remembering. "She really did look like a tomato though. A small, squalling tomato." 

Radek looked amused. "At least my sister knows nothing about technology. That is something at least. Perhaps I will have to use a trick like that on her someday." 

"It's very, very annoying," Rodney remarked dryly, and then laughed as Radek said, "Definitely must use it then." He rubbed the back of his neck, shivering a little and wishing he'd thought to bring a warmer jacket. "Well, enjoy the Marriott and try not to fall asleep in the taxi." 

"I will try, but I cannot promise anything," Radek said, still smiling, and then extended a hand. "Thank you again--" He squinted in the direction of Rodney's chest, and Rodney stared at him until he remembered that he was still wearing his nametag. "--Rodney." 

"Ah, you're welcome, Radek," Rodney said awkwardly, taking the offered hand in his. Radek's fingers were callused, hand warm and slightly damp, and his handshake was firm. It took Rodney a moment to realize that the handshake had gone on for a shade longer than usual and that Radek was still smiling, expression warm and grateful, at him. "Well, I suppose we, ah, should stick together. Kindred spirits, burdened by insane sisters and all that." 

Radek squeezed his hand briefly, let go, said, "Yes, kindred spirits," with a gleam of amusement and something undefined in his eyes. "Well, I should go. Get to the Marriott and sleep before my interview tomorrow." 

"Right, right, of course," Rodney said, and a minute of silence stretched into two where Rodney sorted desperately through his vocabulary banks for something clever to say and came up empty. It wasn't until the taillights of Radek's taxi disappeared from view that he could even form the vaguest semblance of a sentence, something stupid about showing Radek the city after his interview which would have probably earned him a pair of raised eyebrows. 

He glowered at the sidewalk. What was the point of speed-dating when the contact info of only person who seemed remotely interesting was unavailable to you because of the mere fact that you and he had never, technically, been on a date? 

"Never, ever doing this again," he muttered to the cool night air, and then hailed a taxi and went home. 

  


*

  


"Rodney?" 

"Busy," he snapped without looking up from his computer screen. 

"Rodney," Elizabeth repeated firmly and after a moment he lifted his head and scowled. She raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. "I need you in my office. Now, please." 

"Busy," he tried again, and made a face at her back when she tapped her watch, mouthed 'Now' at him, and headed back into her office. He purposely took another minute (that_somehow_ turned into five) to finish up what he'd been working on and save the file. 

"She's going to kill you," Simpson muttered from the desk next to him, and he sniffed and ignored her, because while Elizabeth might _fantasize_ about killing him, she knew very well that he was the best programmer around. 

Finally, he leisurely made his way over to Elizabeth's office, opening the door with a loud complaint about his precious time being wasted already on the tip of his tongue. "Elizabeth, you know--" Pausing, Rodney stared at the man sitting in front of her desk. "Huh," he said, eloquently, and then started to walk back out the door because this was obviously some sort of dream. Or an elaborate joke. 

"Rodney!" Elizabeth was suddenly all smiles, and this _has_ to be some sort of elaborate joke, because-- "This is Radek Zelenka, one of the best computer programmers from the Czech Republic. You said you needed some help on this latest project, and we were hoping to take him on as a computer consultant, and--"

Rodney interrupted her with a snort and a raised eyebrow. Folding his arms against his chest, he stared at Radek, who was watching him with wide, startled eyes. "You didn't even shave for the interview? You must not want this job _too_ badly then." 

After a moment, Radek blinked and smiled, rubbing at his chin. "I always forget _something_ when traveling. This time, it happened to be my razor. That, and I have been told that having a five o'clock shadow makes me seem charmingly eccentric. A mad scientist, if you will." 

"Yes, well, I'll need you to be a mad computer programmer," Rodney informed him, ignoring Elizabeth's bewildered expression, and then can't quite stop the amused curve of his lips. "And you don't look like a mad scientist. More like a hobo, or a--"

"--man who has been sleeping in his car for a week," Radek supplied cheerfully. "Yes, yes, so you have said, but look." He spread his arms, eyes twinkling. "New clothes!" 

"Bravo," Rodney deadpanned, but smiled back as Radek began, "Now, if I get this job, you will have to tell me exactly what your sister did to your computer. I am still deciding what song to put on Marije's laptop--"

"Excuse me," Elizabeth said, and her voice was as dry as the Sahara, "but I'm thinking I missed something here." 

Rodney waved a hand at her. "Long story, I'll explain later," he said, and watched several emotions flicker across Elizabeth's face at the obvious dismissal in front of Radek. 

Finally, she settled for her normal reaction to him being insubordinate -- exasperation, with an additional rolling of her eyes and folding of her arms against her chest for good measure. Of course, Elizabeth was more than likely simply waiting until the potential employee left to chew Rodney out. 

Radek raised an eyebrow. "If you speak to your employer in such a way, I am surprised _you_ still have a job," he remarked, and then inclined his head towards Elizabeth, offering her a polite smile. "Rodney and I met last night, Ms. Weir. My sister had given me the wrong directions to my hotel, you see, and I ended up at this restaurant, where--"

"And like I said, long story," Rodney interrupted hastily, because he did not need Elizabeth hearing about the whole speed-dating fiasco. She would laugh at him for _weeks_. He gestured to the door, since getting Radek away from his boss seemed like a very, very good idea. "So, Radek, one of the best programmers in Czechoslovakia? Let's see it. There's some coding I've been working on; let's see what you can do with it." 

Radek glanced at Elizabeth for a moment, and then shrugged. "Just show me the coding. Also, for future reference, it is the Czech Republic, not Czechoslovakia. Has been, for many years now." 

"Yes, yes," Rodney said, hoping his tone conveyed how much he didn't care even as he headed back to his desk and pulled up the program. "Now, the coding, right _there_\--" 

"Oh, I see, but why did you use--" And then Radek was off, jabbing a finger at the screen and throwing out different ways to shape this particular piece of coding. While most of the suggestions wouldn't work for this particular program, a few of his suggestions could possibly work, and more importantly than that, work _well_. 

It wasn't until Elizabeth cleared her throat and said, "Rodney," that he looked away from the computer. A corner of her mouth twitched upwards, and then her expression smoothed into one of inquiry. "So in regards to needing some help on this project--"

"He'll do," Rodney said breezily, and ignored the way Elizabeth's lips twitched again as she said, mock-solemn, "I'm _so_ relieved that he passed your inspection, Rodney." 

More serious and far warmer, she nodded towards Radek and smiled. "We'll need to finalize the contract, of course--"

"And that can wait until we're done with this coding," Rodney said, rolling his eyes. Hadn't she heard of a little thing called priorities? When Elizabeth frowned at him and crossed her arms against her chest, eyes narrowing in a way that meant trouble, he heaved a put-upon sigh and raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine, just make it quick." 

Radek's expression was a mixture of amusement and bemusement as he walked back into Elizabeth's office. He returned to Rodney's desk a half-hour later, leaning against the desk and raising an eyebrow. "'He'll do'?" he repeated. 

"It's the closest he'll ever come to a compliment. Savor the moment," Simpson informed him, smiling sweetly at Rodney's glare. 

Rodney decided to ignore her for the moment. He could always get revenge later, after all. Instead, he grabbed the nearest chair and pushed it towards Radek. "Work now, get to know the failed stand-up comedienne later." 

Radek sank into the chair and moved closer to Rodney's desk, invading his personal space with a small, almost mischievous smile on his lips. Voice soft, so that only Rodney could hear him, he murmured, "I think I would prefer getting to know _you_ later." 

"Oh," Rodney said, hoping his face wasn't turning pink. "Well, of course-- I'll, uh, show you around the city. And show you what Jeannie did to my computer." Clearing his throat, he tapped the screen and resisted the urge to glance over at the clock and see how long it would be until he and Radek could go out and 'see the sights.' "Now, I was thinking here…."


End file.
